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Spinifex Slender Bluetongue (Cyclodomorphus melanops)

The Spinifex Slender Bluetongue is an arid Australian skink associated with spinifex, especially mature Triodia clumps. In New South Wales, the subspecies C. m. elongatus is listed as endangered and occurs at the eastern edge of its range, so clearing, fire and trampling of spinifex habitat require particular care on project sites.

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

Breeding is seasonal in the documented populations, with mating and fertilisation centred on late winter to early spring, gestation extending into summer, and births mainly in January. Clearing can still harm sheltering animals in any month because no winter inactivity period or seasonal low-risk period is documented.

Reproductive mode: Live-bearing, described as viviparous and ovoviviparous in the supplied sources.

Litter size: 1 to 4 young. Mean litter size was 2.6 in C. m. melanops and 2.4 in C. m. elongatus, with a mode of 3 and 2 respectively.

Gestation: Approximately 4 months in C. m. melanops. Gestation length was not recorded for C. m. elongatus.

Size at hatching or birth: Not recorded. The smallest C. m. elongatus juveniles recorded had a snout to vent length of 40.5 to 42 mm.

Age at maturity: C. m. melanops reached about 82 to 83 mm snout to vent length in the second or third year. C. m. elongatus probably did not mature until at least the third year.

Nest or egg sites: No external nest or egg site is documented. Eggs and embryos develop inside the female.

Breeding frequency: Generally annual in C. m. melanops. Reproduction appeared less frequent than annual in C. m. elongatus.

Confirm timing locally before works by checking regional records and recent surveys, and account for local rainfall and temperature conditions that may alter activity and breeding timing.

  • Mating: Mating and fertilisation coincided with seasonal reproductive activity, with the strongest evidence for late August and September. Male testes were enlarged in most mature-sized males from May to September and peaked in late August to early September.
  • Gravid females: Enlarged yolking follicles were recorded from late August or September to November, and unshelled eggs or developing embryos from October to January. In C. m. elongatus, no mature-sized females collected from February to 10 August were gravid.
  • Births: Young were born in January in the documented populations. A single record of full-term young from C. m. melanops was made in early March, so March is possible but appears less typical.
  • Newborns: The main period for newborns is January, when the smallest C. m. elongatus juveniles were recorded at 40.5 to 42 mm snout to vent length. A single full-term young record from C. m. melanops occurred on 8 to 11 March.
  • Active period: No species-specific active months are recorded. The species is described as cathemeral, with reports of nocturnal, diurnal and crepuscular activity, so surface activity may occur throughout the year when temperatures allow.
  • Highest clearing risk: Treat all months as high risk where clearing removes mature spinifex clumps, adjoining shrub cover or ground cover. These features are documented refuges and foraging habitat, and no month is supported as low risk because winter inactivity and seasonal shelter use are not documented.

Identification

This is a small to medium skink in the Cyclodomorphus branchialis species group. Field identification should be based on the combination of body form, colour, scalation and locality, with expert confirmation where the species may be confused with related Cyclodomorphus taxa.

C. m. elongatus is usually light greyish-green above and reaches 160 to 180 mm total length. The species name refers to the dark face, which is particularly prominent in juveniles, although the supplied sources do not provide a full field description.

The species has been treated under several older names, including Tiliqua melanops, Omolepida melanops and Cyclodomorphus branchialis. Check current taxonomy when reviewing older survey records.

Identification: Similar species and confirmation

The Cyclodomorphus branchialis species group contains several allopatric species and subspecies that were previously treated as a broader species. C. melanops has three recognised subspecies, and C. m. elongatus is the form known from NSW.

The supplied documents do not give a complete diagnostic key or enough comparative detail to confirm individuals from photographs alone. For a project record, retain clear photographs of the head, dorsal pattern, lateral body, limbs and scales, record the exact locality and habitat, and seek confirmation from a reptile specialist where the identification affects clearing decisions.

Identification: Field signs

The supplied documents do not describe diagnostic tracks, scats, calls, nests, sloughs or eyeshine. The animal itself, or a reliable photographic record, is therefore the appropriate basis for a project observation.

Search should focus on mature spinifex clumps and the adjacent ground cover because the NSW subspecies is reported to use spinifex clumps for both shelter and foraging.

Distribution: National range

Cyclodomorphus melanops occurs across arid parts of mainland Australia. The named subspecies occupy different parts of the arid interior, and the NSW population of C. m. elongatus is isolated at the eastern edge of the subspecies' range.

The species is recorded from Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Queensland.

C. m. melanops occurs in the arid north-west, including the Kimberley and Pilbara, and in central Australia. C. m. elongatus extends from southern Western Australia through South Australia, the south-western corner of NSW and western Queensland, with outlying populations in the Northern Territory and northern South Australia and in central-western Queensland. C. m. siticulosus occurs along the southern fringe of the Nullarbor Plain.

Distribution: Known NSW locations

In NSW, C. m. elongatus is known from the south-western corner of the state. The supplied NSW determination records three locations, including Tarawi Nature Reserve and Mallee Cliffs National Park.

The NSW population appears isolated from populations in South Australia and Western Australia. The NSW conservation areas may not be sufficient by themselves to ensure persistence.

Known NSW locations in the determination: Three locations

Named NSW sites: Tarawi Nature Reserve and Mallee Cliffs National Park

Distribution: Population information

The supplied documents do not provide a national population estimate, local abundance estimate or quantified population trend. The NSW determination states that the NSW population is isolated and likely to become extinct in nature unless the threatening factors cease.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

The species is tied to arid spinifex environments. In NSW, the documented habitat is mallee woodland with a Triodia understorey and relatively large, mature spinifex clumps.

C. melanops is associated with spinifex habitats across arid north-western, central, southern and eastern Australia.

C. m. elongatus is restricted in NSW to mallee woodlands with a Triodia understorey. C. m. siticulosus is associated with chenopod habitats along the southern fringe of the Nullarbor Plain.

Habitat: Structural features

Relatively large, mature spinifex clumps are the main documented habitat feature for the NSW subspecies. The species is reported to be entirely dependent on spinifex clumps for shelter and foraging sites.

Areas that are not frequently burnt are preferred in the NSW determination. Adjacent shrubs and ground cover also provide shelter for animals moving between spinifex clumps.

  • Map mature Triodia clumps before clearing.
  • Treat connected clumps and intervening shrub and ground cover as habitat, rather than assessing isolated clumps alone.
  • Record recent fire history and the condition, size and continuity of spinifex patches.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied sources place the species in arid Australia but do not provide an elevation range or a quantified climatic limit. No elevation-specific habitat threshold should be assumed during impact assessment.

Foraging habitat: Foraging sites

Species-specific diet details are not provided in the supplied documents. The strongest field guidance is therefore based on the documented use of spinifex clumps as foraging sites.

C. m. elongatus forages within spinifex clumps and is entirely dependent on these clumps for foraging sites. Relatively large, mature clumps are particularly important.

The supplied documents do not identify particular prey, food plants, feeding times or a measured foraging range.

  • Inspect mature spinifex clumps and their immediate margins during fauna searches.
  • Do not treat a clump as unoccupied solely because an animal is not visible during a brief inspection.
  • Retain adjacent shrubs and ground cover where they provide movement and shelter between clumps.

Foraging habitat: Diet information gap

No prey list or quantified diet is given in the supplied sources. Project reports should identify the absence of species-specific diet data rather than assigning a diet from another blue-tongue or skink species.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The species is ovoviviparous, but the supplied documents do not give a breeding season, litter size, gestation period, age at maturity or lifespan. Breeding habitat is expected to depend on intact spinifex structure because the species uses spinifex clumps for shelter and foraging.

The documents do not state where young are deposited or born, or whether particular clump sizes or vegetation stages are selected for breeding. Avoid applying breeding details from other Cyclodomorphus species without confirmation.

Reproductive mode: Ovoviviparous

Breeding season: Not stated in the supplied documents

Clutch or litter size: Not stated in the supplied documents

Gestation or incubation: Not stated in the supplied documents

Age at maturity: Not stated in the supplied documents

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied documents

Breeding habitat: Habitat to protect

Retain mature spinifex clumps, adjacent shrub cover and ground cover throughout any breeding assessment. Frequent or extensive burning can reduce available habitat and affect recolonisation of burnt areas.

  • Have a fauna spotter catcher inspect spinifex clumps before disturbance.
  • Avoid removing all mature clumps from a connected patch where practicable.
  • Record any juveniles or gravid females separately because the supplied sources indicate that juveniles may show a particularly dark head.

Sheltering habitat: Primary refuge

Spinifex clumps are the primary documented refuge for this species. The supplied sources do not describe burrows, tree hollows, dens or specific shelter dimensions.

C. m. elongatus is entirely dependent on spinifex clumps for shelter and foraging. Individuals are usually found within relatively large, mature clumps, particularly where the area is not frequently burnt.

Shrubs and ground cover between clumps provide additional shelter for animals moving through the habitat.

  • Treat large mature Triodia clumps as potential occupied shelter, even when no lizard is seen.
  • Inspect clumps and their bases before mechanical clearing.
  • Maintain cover between clumps where it forms movement routes or refuge.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter details not documented

The supplied documents do not give shelter dimensions or confirm use of burrows, hollows, rock crevices or other specific refuges. There are also no supplied records of tracks, scats, sloughs or other indirect shelter-use signs.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The documented threats are habitat loss and degradation, altered fire regimes, grazing, trampling, weed invasion and isolation. These threats are especially important in NSW, where the eastern population is small in distribution and isolated from western populations.

Land use can degrade or remove mallee and spinifex habitat. Clearing mature spinifex clumps removes both shelter and foraging sites, while removal of adjacent shrubs and ground cover can reduce cover between clumps.

For project planning, map and avoid mature clumps wherever possible. Where disturbance cannot be avoided, use a fauna spotter catcher and maintain habitat connectivity outside the work area.

  • Mark mature spinifex clumps and connected shrub and ground-cover habitat before clearing.
  • Stage clearing so that animals can be detected and relocated under an approved procedure.
  • Prevent machinery and vehicle access across retained clumps and avoid stockpiling materials on retained habitat.

Threats: Grazing and trampling

Cattle, goats and sheep graze spinifex seed heads and trample clumps. Grazing reduces the density and structure of spinifex and also affects nearby shrubs and ground cover.

Trampling degrades soil structure and facilitates weed invasion, further reducing habitat quality.

  • Exclude livestock from retained spinifex habitat during and after works where practicable.
  • Control access to prevent repeated trampling of clumps and intervening ground cover.
  • Inspect for weed establishment after ground disturbance.

Threats: Fire and fragmentation

Frequent and non-patchy burning reduces spinifex habitat and can limit recolonisation of burnt areas. Fire used to reduce spinifex for grazing may therefore increase the threat to the species.

The NSW population appears isolated from populations in South Australia and Western Australia. Further loss or fragmentation of habitat may increase the significance of local disturbance.

  • Avoid unnecessary burning of mature spinifex habitat.
  • Record fire history and retain unburnt, mature clumps within and beside project areas.
  • Do not assume that a reserve or retained patch alone will maintain the local population.

Threats: Other threats and evidence gaps

The supplied documents do not provide species-specific evidence on road mortality, introduced predators, disease or hydrology change. These hazards should not be reported as established threats for this species without additional evidence, but project assessments should still check whether they could affect retained spinifex habitat or animal movement.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and targeted searches

Survey this species where works may remove or disturb mallee woodland with a Triodia understorey, particularly mature spinifex clumps. The available documents do not provide a species-specific survey guideline or minimum survey effort, so a qualified ecologist should set methods and effort from the proposed disturbance, habitat quality, season and applicable state requirements.

Map mallee woodland, Triodia cover, mature spinifex clumps, adjacent shrubs and ground cover before selecting survey locations.

Prioritise relatively large, mature spinifex clumps because the NSW subspecies is dependent on these clumps for shelter and foraging.

Search areas that are not frequently burnt first, because the NSW determination records the species mainly in mature spinifex clumps in such areas.

Survey methodology: 2. Active searches and visual detection

Use systematic daytime searches around and within suitable spinifex clumps, checking shelter sites without destroying the clumps or degrading the soil.

Record each search transect, search area, start and finish time, weather, observer effort, habitat type, spinifex condition and fire history where known.

Use photographs and diagnostic checking by a suitably experienced herpetologist when identification is uncertain, because the taxon has a history of taxonomic revision and includes three recognised subspecies.

Reported adult total length: 160 to 180 mm for Cyclodomorphus melanops elongatus

Reported NSW distribution: South-western corner of New South Wales, including Tarawi Nature Reserve and Mallee Cliffs National Park

Survey methodology: 3. Nocturnal and supplementary methods

Consider nocturnal spotlighting and other supplementary reptile survey methods where the risk assessment indicates that daytime searches may miss animals, but select timing and effort through the project survey plan because the supplied documents do not specify nights, hours, trap nights, transect lengths or trapping methods.

Do not use trapping, tile arrays or other capture methods unless they are justified by the survey design, approved under the relevant state requirements and conducted by appropriately authorised personnel.

Record non-detections as survey results, including the area and habitat searched, because absence of a record does not demonstrate that a suitable spinifex clump is unoccupied.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Have a qualified ecologist document the rationale for survey timing, methods, area and effort before works begin.
  • Survey all proposed clearing areas and any retained habitat that may be affected by access, machinery movement, stockpiling, fire or altered drainage.
  • Provide survey records, photographs, location data and habitat descriptions to the relevant state wildlife database and the project approval authority.
  • In New South Wales, check current requirements for Cyclodomorphus melanops elongatus, which is listed as endangered under state legislation.
  • Check the current taxonomic name and subspecies before submitting records, and retain the original field identification and verification notes.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise impacts

Avoid clearing suitable spinifex habitat wherever practicable. The NSW determination identifies habitat loss, grazing, trampling, weed invasion and altered fire regimes as threats, with the NSW population restricted and isolated at the eastern edge of the subspecies' range.

Retain mature, relatively large Triodia clumps and the surrounding shrubs and ground cover used by animals moving between clumps.

Avoid fragmenting connected patches of mallee and spinifex habitat, and retain habitat links between clumps and retained areas.

Keep vehicles, laydown areas, spoil, fencing and drainage works out of retained spinifex habitat.

Prevent stock and feral animals from grazing or trampling spinifex clumps within the work area.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

Confirm whether the proposed action requires state threatened species approval, a scientific or fauna handling licence, or other permits before survey, capture, relocation or clearing.

The species is not listed under the EPBC Act in the supplied information, but check the current federal list and the relevant state list before finalising the approvals pathway.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies suitable habitat, no-go areas, search methods, authorised personnel, stop-work triggers, handling arrangements and incident reporting.

Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains available while each work area is searched and cleared.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance survey of all areas to be disturbed, including access tracks, compound areas and temporary work zones.

Mark mature spinifex clumps, retained habitat, movement links and exclusion areas on plans and on the ground.

Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery and personnel entering retained habitat, and inspect the fencing throughout the works.

Brief operators and supervisors on the species' appearance, its dependence on spinifex clumps and the procedure for a find.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Treat every suitable mature spinifex clump as potential habitat during clearing. The fauna spotter catcher should control the sequence of work, keep machinery clear of searched areas and stop work when an animal or unsearched habitat is encountered.

Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the approved clearing boundary, exclusion zones, current fauna risks and contact details for the authorised fauna handler.

Inspect exclusion fencing, access routes and work limits before machinery starts each day.

Direct machinery to clear only after the fauna spotter catcher has inspected the immediate work area and given permission to proceed.

Use staged, low-speed clearing under the spotter catcher's direction so animals can move towards retained habitat rather than being isolated by a large clearing front.

Stop work if machinery approaches an unsearched mature spinifex clump, if exclusion fencing fails, or if the spotter catcher cannot maintain a safe view of the clearing area.

During habitat disturbance: Handling and relocation

Only personnel authorised under the applicable state requirements should capture, handle or relocate the animal.

If a bluetongue is found, stop nearby work, keep people and machinery back, and allow the authorised handler to assess whether it can move safely without capture.

Relocate an animal only when authorised and necessary, and place it in nearby retained mallee and mature spinifex habitat selected by the ecologist.

Do not release an animal into recently burnt, heavily grazed, weed-dominated or otherwise unsuitable habitat.

Place injured animals in a secure, ventilated container and transfer them promptly to a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer under the project fauna procedure.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature management and records

Avoid removing or damaging the mature spinifex clumps that provide shelter and foraging sites unless their removal is approved and covered by the fauna management plan.

If soil, ground cover, shrubs, logs or rocks are disturbed, record the feature and manage it under the approved relocation and rehabilitation procedure rather than assuming it is safe to discard.

Record the date, exact location, habitat, activity, identification, photographs, action taken, handler and final outcome for every sighting, capture, relocation, injury or mortality.

Report any mortality, unauthorised clearing or repeated fauna incidents to the environmental manager and the relevant authority under the approval conditions.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that no animals remain in disturbed habitat, that retained spinifex habitat is protected and that project controls remain effective. Monitoring should focus on habitat condition as well as animal records.

Complete a final inspection of each cleared area, retained habitat edge and access route after clearing and before the area is handed to the construction crew.

Search disturbed margins and any remaining mature spinifex clumps for animals displaced during clearing.

Remove temporary hazards, repair damaged exclusion fencing and prevent machinery, stockpiles and spoil from encroaching into retained habitat.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained mallee and spinifex habitat for damage, grazing, trampling, weed invasion and fire impacts during construction and site maintenance.

Compare monitoring records with the pre-clearance habitat map, including the condition and continuity of mature spinifex clumps.

Submit required fauna observations, handling records, mortality records and compliance reports to the relevant state database and approval authority.

Review work methods after any incident and amend the fauna management plan where controls did not prevent habitat damage or fauna risk.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

Assess residual loss or degradation of suitable habitat against the applicable state approval and biodiversity offset requirements.

Do not treat an offset as a substitute for retaining mature spinifex clumps and avoiding direct impacts where practicable.

Document the area, condition and management commitments for any offset or conservation measure required by the approval.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild suitable habitat

Rehabilitation should rebuild the shelter and foraging structure on which this species depends. The highest priority is recovery of mature Triodia habitat and the surrounding mallee ground cover, followed by protection from grazing, weeds and unsuitable fire.

Re-establish locally appropriate mallee woodland with a Triodia understorey where clearing has removed suitable habitat.

Prioritise reinstating dense, connected spinifex cover rather than creating isolated small clumps.

Retain or replace nearby shrubs and ground cover that provide shelter between spinifex clumps.

Use local provenance seed or plant material where required by the rehabilitation specification and state approval.

Rehabilitation actions: Protect the rehabilitation area

Exclude livestock and feral grazers from rehabilitation areas until spinifex and associated ground cover are established.

Control weeds that reduce the density or structure of spinifex and adjacent shelter vegetation.

Manage access to prevent trampling, soil degradation and vehicle damage.

Plan fire management to avoid frequent or non-patchy burning that removes spinifex habitat and limits recolonisation of burnt areas.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

Monitor the survival, cover, density and structure of Triodia and associated mallee ground cover against the pre-clearing reference condition.

Check whether rehabilitation areas remain connected to retained mature spinifex habitat.

Record grazing, trampling, weed invasion, fire and any bluetongue observations during scheduled inspections.

Set completion criteria with the approval authority, using recovery of suitable mature spinifex habitat and protection from damaging fire and grazing as key measures.

Sources